The massive Greenlink West Transmission Project in Nevada got the final green light this week by the US Department of the Interior.

The project will create a new 525 kV transmission line that will stretch 350 miles from Las Vegas to Yerington, southwest of Reno, and greatly increase Nevada’s grid capacity. It will cross federal, state, Tribal, and private lands in seven counties.

Once completed, utility NV Energy’s Greenlink West will be able to carry up to 4,000 megawatts (MW) of clean energy – enough to power over 4.8 million homes. Greenlink West is a critical part of Nevada’s push to ramp up renewable energy production and modernize its aging power grid.

Construction is expected to begin early next year, and the goal is to bring it online by May 2027.

Currently, a lot of the solar, geothermal, and wind energy generated in rural parts of the state can’t be efficiently sent to cities like Las Vegas and Reno, where demand is high. Greenlink West will fix that by connecting clean energy sources to urban centers.

Along with the 210-mile-long, 525 kV Greenlink North, which will span from Ely to Yerington and is still under environmental review, the two lines will tie into the existing One Nevada Transmission Line. The entire $4.24 billion transmission project, which is expected to generate $690 million in economic activity and create nearly 4,000 good-paying jobs, will result in a continuous triangle of high-voltage transmission lines in the state, as per the video below:

The project will also include three 345 kV lines from Yerington to the Reno area.

Greenlink North is expected to be in service by December 2028.

Read more: US electricity demand is about to surge – here’s what needs to happen

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